2016.11.27_God’s Chosen People

Let us pursue the righteousness of God

God is majestic. By nature, we cannot see or know God, but He has made himself known to us. The way He has made himself known to us is the very Word. We can see and know God through His Word. A Christians’ faith depends on the Word.

When we practice our faith, we often hear the word ‘righteousness’. The closest thing to the righteousness of God is the righteousness of a nation. The righteousness of a nation lies in the constitution. Every order of a nation comes from the constitution, and the nation can endure when the people respect their constitution. The constitution is the bedrock of a nation.

The righteousness of God is His Word. God determines and works all things according to His Word. God created the world and made himself known through the Word. The Word of God shed His blood and saved us, and determines who will attain the resurrection of life and those who won’t.

The Christians’ faith is to believe in the righteousness of God, that is, His Word. That’s why we call the Christians’ faith the faith of the Word. Some people treat their own ideas as if they were the word of God. They often say things like “God told me to go south”. However, belief based on emotions is mysticism, not Christian faith.

The reason Jesus praised the disciple who confessed “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:68)” is that his faith was based on the Word. Christians’ faith must be in conformity with the Word. No matter how hard you may pray or serve in the church, it is meaningless unless it is based on the Word. God only rewards acts of faith based on God’s righteousness: the Word.

The cumulative population of the people of Israel from the time of the Exodus until now is enormous. But among them the number of those who are sealed, who are pure in their faith, belong to Christ and follow Him wherever He leads is only 144,000. (Revelation 14:4). It is not easy to remain steadfast in faith.

However, if you want to partake of the first resurrection, you must remain steadfast in the faith, even unto death. In order to remain steadfast in the faith, our minds must always follow God’s Word. In the past the Pharisees kept the word of God thoroughly to the extent that they were circumcised on the eighth day and brought up according to the law from that day onward. But Jesus rebuked the Pharisees. On the surface they outwardly obeyed the word of God, but not in their heart. That’s why Jesus said to his disciples, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven”. (Matthew 5:20)

Psychological stress afflicts many people. Even Christians rejoice one day that they have received grace, and another day they are feel that God has forsaken them. Our mind must always maintain a proper attitude before God. When Elijah stood face to face with the eight hundred and forty prophets of Baal and Asherah, people were reluctant to stand by him. Then Elijah shouted, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him”. When given a choice between God’s righteousness and our emotions, which do we chose?

Let yourself be chosen and used by God

We are like dust before God. But when we obey the word of God, He chooses us and uses us. Jesus also said, ” He who has faith in me will do what I do, and even greater things than these (John 14:12)”. If we are really members of Christ, then the power of the Word must be revealed in us. That’s the evidence that God is using us.

God called chiefs of the twelve tribes of Israel and told them to bring their staffs place them in the tabernacle.  The following morning only Aaron’s staff had budded. Over night the dry staff had budded, produced leaves, blossomed and finally borne fruit. God ordered Aaron’s staff to be placed in the Ark of Testimony and the others be returned to their owners. This meant that God would take Aaron’s tribe into His bosom.

When they conquered the land of Canaan, the Israelites faced thirty-one kings. So you can imagine how many died among them. But in Aaron’s tribe of Levi there was not one who died in battle. God did not send them into war. God not only used Aaron, but his descendants as well.

Nazareth was a marginalized region that prophets had never mentioned. People even said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth ?” But Jesus grew up as a Nazarene and his disciples lived near Nazareth, too. Most of his disciples were uneducated. But when they preached, people were astonished at their wisdom and power. That’s right. Jesus’ disciples may have possessed nothing and been uneducated, but through them all the people of the world have been saved and many are coming back to Jesus even now.

1 Corinthian 1:26~31 says, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

However foolish, lowly and despised you may be, you can be empowered and prosper when the Lord chooses you. If the Lord chooses us, God can use us as well as our descendants. Of course, there are not many chosen by God. Many are saved, but not many are chosen. Therefore we have to yearn and strive to be chosen by God.

A thirsty deer approaches a pool knowing that predators will attack it. Like the deer that pants after the streams of water, you too must long for God to choose you. Do not boast about the power, wealth and knowledge that God will one day abolish, but long for His election. Commend yourself to ministry so that God may produce fruit in you.